Homemade Biscuits

[MyMississippi]

Being born and raised in the deep south, I've eaten my share of biscuits. My mom made a pan of those large, soft, "cat head" biscuits every day. YUM !

I took them for granted while living at home and didn't think they were anything special because we had them everyday. But I had a girlfriend that always said "are there any biscuits left " as soon as she walked into our house. And I always found one for her , to which she added some of my mother's home made blackberry jam before devouring it ------ SHe thought they were heavenly. Her mother didn't bake biscuits, poor thing.

Anyway, now that I CAN'T HAVE THEM----- I want them. ! ! I have lovely memories of tomatoe gravy and biscuits ----milk gravy and biscuits, steak gravy and biscuits, biscuits and jam, biscuits and syrup, biscuits and sausage, etc.

So ,I tried to make biscuits last week....... but they turned to crumbs as soon as I touched them.

Does anyone have a tried and true recipe for a good biscuit????? (.I searched this forum as best I know how. I'm not very good at this ) and I don't see a recipe.

I'll settle for a small crispy one if I have to--just so long as it stays in one piece til it gets into my mouth.

[spunky]

I make them pretty much the same way I always did but with sorghum flour instead of white flour, but use either coconut or palm oil instead of lard, and use something in place of milk... but using real lard and real milk would probably make them better... I add a little bit of lemon juice to the milk (sub) to give it the buttermilk taste because I don't do dairy products at all.

As to how my gluten-free biscuits compare with my old ones... well... let's just say we eat them and enjoy them NOW, but it took a while to get used to them!!! I tried using xanthan gum to improve the texture in my early experiments, but that stuff is just kinda nasty to me, so I don't bother with stuff like that anymore... I just treat them delicately and it took a while to get used to them. We do enjoy them by this point, but they aren't really exactly like the REAL thing!

I make drop biscuit like batter sometimes and pour it into those individual-sized cake pans you can buy, then bake them, cut them open and we make something like "egg mcmuffins" out of them... that turns out really nice! sorry I can't give you better help than that... best I can do!

[Zardoz]

We are very fortunate to live reasonably close to Kathy's Creations in Alliance, OH.

She makes so many things that taste as good or better than their gluten counterparts. When we fist walked in there last year it was amazing to see a bakery loaded with tasty baked goods!

She makes biscuits that have a very good texture and hold together well. I made sausage gravy for them last Sunday and WOW it was good! She sells her pizza crusts to and Italian place down the street that has a gluten-free menu - also highly recommended (I think it is Paisonello's or similar).

I have no idea what she uses for flours but she has perfected gluten-free baking!!! The prices are way below our local gluten-free products available in Cleveland.

She does not ship things at this point but if you are in Ohio for any reason her stuff is super great-load up!!!!

Open Original Shared Link

[MyMississippi]

Zardoz,

How far from Cleveland is Alliance?? My husband is from Cleveland and he has relatives there. Next time we're there---- I'll check them out.

And if any of them come for a visit, I can have them bring some with them.

[RiceGuy]

I tried using xanthan gum to improve the texture in my early experiments, but that stuff is just kinda nasty to me, so I don't bother with stuff like that anymore...

I've read a few posts saying similar things. Have you tried guar gum? I always use guar, so I don't know if there is any particular taste to xanthan.

I'm still tweaking my biscuit recipes, but I suppose I might suggest something like this:

1 part sorghum or millet flour

1 part starchy flour, like tapioca, sweet white rice flour, potato flour, or maybe cornstarch

1 tsp guar gum (or xanthan) per cup total flour

1 tsp Bob's Red Mill baking powder (see Open Original Shared Link for why brand is important) per cup total flour

pinch of salt (optional)

Thoroughly blend all ingredients in bowl, add enough water to make a dough stiff enough to drop onto bake pan without it spreading out (don't forget to oil the pan). Bake at the usual time & temp.

NOTE: This recipe is off the top of my head, and I'm sure it's not as good as it could be. Also, I've been trying for firm, "crusty" biscuits, not soft fluffy ones. I find the type of starchy flour can make the difference between gummy, chewy, crumbly, etc. So you may end up combining two or more in order to get the desired texture.

[mamatide]

Well, I'm about as far from being from the South as you can get, but I still love (and missed until recently) my biscuits and dumplings!

I just posted my favourite, tried and true recipe in a separate thread for all to enjoy. Even my gluten eating husband devours them.

I hope you enjoy them as much.

[imsohungry]

Hi there!

I'm a southern gal...born and raised in Georgia.

I really miss my mom and grandma's biscuits...yummmm! Always a favorite: especially when eaten with fried fatback, or tomato's and rice, or gravy...

When I started making them gluten-free, I had to alter a few things (and I am still tweeking my biscuit recipe everytime I make them).

Here are a few tips I've found helpful:

1. Use Crisco if possible

2. If not, use real butter

3. Use buttermilk (this really made a difference in the consistency!)

4. Bake in a cast iron pan

5. Don't over-mix the ingredients

6. Allow to cool a little before removing from pan

7. gluten-free bread tends to be a little dry and heavy; make sure there is enough moisture...southern biscuits are usually moist and yummy!

Good luck to you! -Julie

[Zardoz]

Hi MyMississippi,

Alliance is about an hour and a half one-way; it is a nice drive in the country. We usually plan lunch at the Italian joint then hit the bakery afterwards. Makes for a nice 'one-tank trip'.